


From out of a Corner

by Natertatertot



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: I'd definitely punch her in the face to have a semi-romantic fight, more ocs beating each other half to death, this is my niche and i will not change it, you don't want it? leave
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:27:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26575987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natertatertot/pseuds/Natertatertot
Summary: work done for periculum-dulce on tumblr! Featuring her OC, Vannika! I really enjoyed writing this, so I hope you all enjoy reading!
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Vegas was, like anything civilized, a den of sin. These people had not known a cold night with only a fire for comfort, the feeling of those around you for a sense of family. There were no families here, but animals of a new order.  
  
 _“You really think he’s here? We’d be better off jumping patrols in the desert. What’s the point of it anyways, they’re shortha-”_ _  
_ _  
_The woman with blond, neatly combed hair was cut off by the one with short, black, messy hair. They exchanged a glance for a moment, letting their eyes lock, and take in the view of the other. An unmistakable level of attraction was there, but not excluding the negative sort. ** _  
_** ** _  
_** **“He’s here.”** **  
** **  
**Her eyes went up and down the strip, not so much taking in the bright signs and clothing, as she did the people and their faces. Watching, waiting. Breath hitched, while she felt the rush of a hunt come over her. Her own body remained in place, but the eyes pierced through everyone she could see. The woman with blonde hair fidgeted and threw a knife into the air, glancing back between her and the strip. **  
** **  
** **“Getting a First Recon, a Ranger at that, says something. Killing some farm kid in the desert says nothing. Killing an icon, in the heart of what should be safe for anyone? That’s a message. Not watching a kid bleed out and cry because one day the army came to town and sent him to bumfuck nowhere. That’s why we’re here, Serp.”** **  
** **  
**Cigarette smoke haloed around their heads, swirling with their own. The city was alive, but she felt as if she would shatter from the cold. She gave a sly grin to her friend, then they pulled up masks past their noses.  
  
 _“Right, right. What’re we waiting for?”_ ** _  
_** ** _  
_**The alleyway they peered out from, a woman on either side. The respirator hid his face, excluding his eyes, while every other part of him obscured under clothing.  
  
 **“That.”**  
  
A young man wearing tattered clothing, who looked to be more a resident of the slums surrounding Vegas, accompanied him, carrying a notebook.  
  
 **“Teen.. Maybe fifteen? Brown hair, scrappy build. No question that man with him is who we’re looking for. We’ve gotta get to him somehow. How ‘bout that book..? What do we do if the book is useless the-** **  
** **  
** _“I’m not killing a kid, nor am I letting you. He probably knows where he is, and where he’s going since there’s not a whole lot of people who can say he lets them walk beside him. The less people tailing them, the better. You tail them, figure out what’s going on, figure out where he’s going.”_ _  
_ _  
_ **“Aww~ You’d leave all the fun to widdle ol’ me? It’s almost as if you’re scared. Afraid I’m going to do something?”** **  
** **  
**Vannika’s hand trapped her from leaving her spot lying up against the wall, noses coming close enough to the point where neither was sure as to whether she was teasing or not.  
  
 _“Get going.”_ _  
_ _  
_They parted ways, one following the other from afar. It didn’t take long for the pair they were following to split up, finding herself following the young man with the notebook easily enough, up until the point where Vannika found herself walking around a corner and into a fist.  
  
 **“You fuck!”**  
  
Nose bloodied, brow furrowed with rage, and fists clenched, she found herself cursing from the moment she set off after him.  
  
He gave good enough chase, being quick, agile, and terrified enough, and it was nearly a miracle none of those strange police robots noticed. She followed him deeper and deeper through the streets of Vegas, neither one giving in, the breath of prey and predator mixing in a symphony of irony.  
  
Up until the moment she yanked his collar in a back alley, she realized her own friend hadn’t caught up to her yet, nor did she know if she perfectly followed her.  
  
 **“Alright, you little fucking shit, where the hell is he?”** The mask came off for a moment, revealing the stained red of both blood and paint in the moon over Vegas, pointed teeth glinting in the dim light. **  
****  
**She reeled her own fist to pay him in kind for her nose that still ebbed scarlet blood, and found her wrist grabbed, only for the boy to escape an instant later, and for her to be facing a new foe. One with a respirator, obscuring clothing, and a gun. ** _  
_** ** _  
_** ** _“Bullying kids? I expected a certain level of savagery, but… You were about to punch a kid! Jesus fucking christ, you dumb broad. I might just have to hurt you for laying a hand on that poor kid!”_** While his voice was muffled and mouth blocked, his eyes told her the taunting and heckling he felt behind the mask, eyes widening in faux shock. **_  
_****_  
_**Where there is a thesis, there will be an antithesis.  
  
 **“Don’t rightly know what you mean, Ray. You think you’re better than me?”** She glared with a predatory tone.  
  
Over time, the two will merge and form a synthesis. Where there was war, there was the murder of millions of innocents, starting the planet anew. Where there were the tribals, there was all sorts of civilization, bringing about a new era of living.  
  
 ** _“I know I’m better than any dog who prefers her bite and bark to growing out of the old ways.”_** He closed the distance a little, keeping the gun trained on her, never breaking eye contact.  
  
Where there was Vannika Maria Volkov and her tribe, there was the New California Republic, bringing all but extinction to her people.  
  
 **“At the end of the day, we’re all dogs. All animals, driven by our own perverted desires. Jackal dogs, Legion dogs, Vegas dogs, NCR dogs, that’s tough talk coming from you. You, who guns down those who stand in your way, try to tell me of understanding? Only the dead understand anything. The only thing us dogs only know, is to fight.”** **  
** **  
**Grabbing the barrel was easy enough, avoiding the brutal, but slow blows to the stomach and face were harder. For every one solid impact that was traded, she paid him in kind in deep bite marks and quicker blows that left him bloody, but standing. It was over as quickly as it began, two dogs locked in not only the momentary conflict of physical violence, but the eternal clash of two opposing views.  
  
 ** _“You think raiding innocents in the desert and barking at the moon is living!?”_**  
  
Sand, sweat, spit and blood eventually clogged their eyes to the point where not only were their minds blind, but their eyes as well. Avoiding the wild swings was well said, but rarely done.  
  
 **“You think.. That killing in the name of a better future.. Is?**  
  
Getting out from under them, to be able to break free and get away was a matter of timing his forward throw with her legs, throwing him over her.  
  
 **“It’s more living than you do. What, working for the man? Thinking about the folks at home, when you had the choice to be there in the first place? The thought that every kill you make brings you one step closer to home sickens me, because you, nor any other son of a bitch in this fucking city… has something that deserves to be called home.”**  
  
They both stumbled away, but Vannika was the first to clear her view, crying out in anger to the point where adrenaline made her feel nothing as she grabbed his shoulders and beat her forehead against his face. Nothing intelligible was spoken from that point on. Only wild cries and screams of pain as the two fought for their own survival.  
  
It must’ve affected her at some point, because the only thing she remembered after the continuous blows done by her head and teeth, was waking up in the slums, held in the arms of “Serp”. Her eyes fluttered open, the sunlight gazing down on her. She struggled to her knees, but was only shushed back down into her lap.  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Fingers moved across the ivory keys. Though they have long since yellowed and cracked. They were spotless, and the notes still played as they had years before, showing care to the instrument even in a place such as this. _  
__  
__“Yeah, she’s the one you’re looking for.”_ _  
__  
_With each and every hole in the wall in Vegas attracting the lowest of humanity, it was only natural it attracted the two of them. Photographs detailing mutilated corpses, candid photographs of possible perpetrators, and a single image of a tribal surrounded by her ‘soldiers’, one such soldier circled in red. _  
__  
_**“I thought she had no family. That she cut ties even with you. Huh.”** **  
****  
**Eyes flickered back and forth as he stuffed the pictures back into his pockets, leaning against the booth, resting his feet on the table. He was relaxed, but as the piano player increased their tempo, she found it harder and harder to stare him back down, as if he saw her very soul and being.  
  
 _“You’re right about that, but it’s not so much not having family. Think of it like she’s a long lost cousin. You’ve got a favorite cousin, right? Or are you just like her?”_

 _  
_Her sudden remark at his own isolation brought him back into a more reserved pose, hiding a stutter through a cough under his mask, and leaning over the table, hiding his own inability to face his demons. _  
__  
_**“That’s irrelevant. I’ll find this girl, whoever she is. You just focus on** **_her._ ** **”** **  
****  
**She finally met his eyes, pulling bottle caps from his side of the table to hers. Pocketing them, she took a gander around the room, noticing it was empty, save the performer and bartender. All at once did she realize the point in meeting here. **  
****  
**_“What’s the point, if she’s coming for you anyways? I know the girl, so why can’t you take care of it?”_ _  
__  
_Cat and mouse, forever in a back and forth dance. Each thinking they’re the cat, that they are superior to the other. Each poised to the point that they have long since failed to see that they are the mice, and their masters, the cats, playing with their food. He put the hat back on his head, and stood to leave. _  
__  
_**“She’s too smart to come out on her own. She needs someone she knows. For now, that’s you.”** **  
****  
**He looked between the floor at her, eyes only flickering back in thought for the moment. Then left, followed by a shorter figure, obscured by wrappings, and a coat similar to the man’s own. **  
****  
**_“Right… right, because you know her better. Just as long as I get paid.”_ _  
__  
__\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _  
__  
_The sun scorched the land, as if it was through some divine being that wished everyone who existed under it to disappear and fry. Each one a testament to both the scrappy nature of humanity, and its own self-destructive nature. Each being at eternal conflict with itself, and those around them to a varying degree.  
  
 **_“Why linger around this place any longer? I don’t understand how you will me to be here, when I should just be on my way?”_ **  
  
Each experience a human endures makes them who they are, for better or worse, which just happened to be the thought which passed through Inugami’s head the moment it pulled in.  
  
 _“Because, girl, I’ve prolonged you only for this opportunity. He’s heading to Vegas. All you have to do is ask.”_  
  
The rider was of short-medium build, obscured by goggles and a helmet, akin to ones she had seen of stuntmen in prewar magazines. An indiscernible sunguard came over the goggles. Where the mouth was, was something that could only look like a respirator.  
  
 **_“In that case, I thank you spirit. I’ll carry out your will, and take your assistance.”_ **  
  
The “town” consisted of nothing but a trading post and a few patrons, taking a break in the midday sun. The figure took one look around the outside area, before he shut the engine off, and began inspecting the saddlebags. He grabbed a bag that made a slight shaking noise, the contents metal, before he entered the store where she was as well.  
  
“How much for a full tank? I’ll take some of that over there too, please.”  
  
The helmet came off to reveal matted brown hair, with soft, boyish eyes, and a sharp jaw and nose to compliment the teen’s features. He gestured to containers of water and a bag of white powder she couldn’t identify. As the sweat dripped down the side of his face, he took in the view of the store, only to see the older woman approach him.  
  
“How can I help you, ma’am?”  
  
A slight accent when he spoke, an air of politeness and common wit one used when addressing someone whose motives were yet unknown. He paid the storekeeper and turned to face her fully, while the earnest, balding middle-aged man at the counter began to set the contents on top of it.   
  
**“You’re headed to Vegas, r-right? I understand it’s almost a few hundred miles onwards from this point, and frankly, my feet are tired. W-wait, before you dismiss me, I notice you’re independent enough to be able to come into a place such as this without fear, and traveling alone is never good.”** **  
****  
**Towards the end, she nearly ran out of breath, making her words all that much more rushed. She took a deep breath, and mustered a cheery smile in such a depressing place, which was enough to not exactly power the lights, but still gave the room the appearance of glowing nonetheless.  
  
He spent a moment looking at her eye, then gestured to the containers of water, while he grabbed the jerry can and bag of powder which had a questionable origin. He figured he’d seen weirder, and had weirder said to him, let alone guessed about him.  
  
“Grab those, would you please? It’ll be a moment before the engine cools down, so you’ll have some time before we go.”  
  
He held the door open for her, and nodded as she passed through the doorway, thanking the storekeeper on his way out. He led her back to the bike, and began packing the bags strapped to the sides with the contents previously bought, making sure not one thing was out of place while he did so.  
  
 **“T-thank you so much! I promise, I won’t be dead weight, I’ll make sure to help-”** **  
****  
**He took the water from her arms, but made sure to give her a cold, blank stare.  
  
“Lady, while I see it fit to help out another traveler, an’ since you were polite enough to approach me, I trust you enough. Don’t give me reason not to, okay?”  
  
While he carried a serious enough tone through it, he cracked a small, teasing smile at the end, prompting her to smile and nod in return. When the bike was cooler, he filled the tank, pulling out various plastic sticks from the vehicle, refuelling it and examining these strange plastic sticks, the concept of the machine all but a mystery to Inugami.  
  
 _“Help comes to those who help themselves.”_  
  
When they were ready to leave, he stole into the store for the moment, coming out holding a helmet. He held it out to her without saying a word, and she put it on.  
  
 **_“Thank you.”_ ** **_  
_** **_  
_** While most could never imagine keeping a running pace in such a desert, the path through lower Utah to Vegas went by quicker than she had expected, and each moment felt as if she was flying but inches from the ground. It brought her a new level of excitement, and by the time he had pulled over in the evening on the side of the road to make camp, she was still reeling from the experience.  
  
 **“Thank you! I just.. I… What even is that thing? What makes it move at such a speed, like a horse?”** **  
****  
**Searching the saddlebags, he pulled out a firestarter, and asked her to start finding small bits of brush and dry sticks. She was diligent, and eventually the two of them had collected enough to make a small fire, which turned into a medium sized fire, providing warmth as the sun went down. He didn’t so much as dismiss her answer, as he did wait until the right time to answer it, when they were both looking at one another from opposite sides of the fire.  
  
“It’s a motorbike. Belonged to my Pa’, and more or less. There’s machinery inside it which creates ‘n explosion so forceful, it’s controlled, and pushes the tires. Come t’morrow morning, I’ll make us breakfast, and we’ll set out. We should have enough gas to get to Vegas.” _  
__  
_He stared into the fire at the mention of his father, but nodded in affirmation at his promise to trust her and continue to Vegas together.  
  
 **“You really like to choose your words, I like that! So, what are you headed to Vegas for? I’m going there to kinda’ see my parents, but also I guess I’m kinda’ there on a job? I don’t know who the employer is, but he said it had something to do with righting a wrong, or whatever. I don’t really know, anyways, what’s a kid like you doing on his own in the first place? I just would’ve figur-”** **  
****  
**He didn’t hold his tongue with hate, but with interest and curiosity at how one could talk so much. While he saw the wheels turn in her head that he might be annoyed with her, he held a warm smile and opened his own mouth for a change.  
  
“Same as you. A job. Though, I don’t rightly know why, but I remember the fella’ who left me a letter sayin’ the exact same thing. Probably just coincidence. Vegas is a big city after all.”  
  
While they laid against their helmets, a few minutes of silence was endured by both parties. Both one eyeing the other every now and then, trying not to get noticed by the other.  
  
“They kill’d my family a few years back. The Legion. Been ‘n my own ever since. That’s all I have to say about that.”  
  
He continued to stare into the fire, letting the cool desert air mix with the smoke and wash over him. Although their bond was only a few hours old, the kindness of a stranger got through to yet another being who felt the need to push most away emotionally to preserve themself. He wasn’t far gone, however, because he still let the tears flow down his cheeks when she let her eyes do the talking with a sympathetic expression.  
  
 _“What a depressing bastard.”_  
  
He walked over to her, and laid down beside her, facing the other way in an almost ultimate sign of trust. His voice cracked as he looked away, and within had fallen silent.  
  
“I-I think I’m gonna’ go to sleep now, ma’am.”  
  
She looked between the spirit, then him, and held him. Not as someone who could ever fully know the pain of lost family, nor the embrace of someone who saw him as their other half. But as a human being, doing its very best to comfort another human being. A simple act of animalistic nature, so very clearly displayed.  
  
 **“It’s going to be okay.”**  
  
Her hug tightened, and softened, then she turned back up to keep the fire going for a few more hours, before it was his own shift to stay awake so she could sleep, neither one saying another thing.  
  
“Sleep well, ma’am?”  
  
In the morning, she woke to the sound of something sizzling. A few covered bottles containing various liquids were around the boy, as he seemed to be cooking something over a pan. One of the bottles held oil, and another, syrup. Oil and syrup?  
  
 _“Okay, so I was wrong, this kid’s got his perks.”_ _  
__  
_The bag of powder from before was out, some mixed with water in a bowl, forming a goopy mixture, which was then cooked on the pan, after greasing it lightly with oil.  
  
 **“Yes.. What’s this?”** **  
****  
**He held out one of the loave-shaped cakes he had made, after putting some syrup on it.  
  
“Breakfast, or you can call it a pancake. I don’t have any plates or napkins, but I reckoned your lap’d work just fine. The mix was a little dry, but I think they went and turned out okay.”  
  
As she bit in, the mix of savory and sweet overwhelmed her and all at once did she realize her own hunger, neither of them having eaten since yesterday afternoon, before their trip together began.  
  
 **“This is amazing! How have I not had these before?!”** **  
****  
**He gave her a few more fresh from the pan, and ate his own, chuckling to himself. He laughed a little more while he cooked, making more pancakes in the same fashion.  
  
“Knowledge isn’t lost forever, just forgotten by some. Like I’ve got that bike there, and you’ve got that eye there, I figure you see some things others can’t, while I know a little more about that bike, and this powder here, than most. You can keep the mix if you’d like when we part ways. Just three parts mix, two parts water.”  
  
Camp was eventually packed up. They went to Vegas. He dropped her off by the gates, and bid her goodbye.  
  
 **“I hope to see you again!”**  
  
She hugged him once more before he left to presumably park his bike elsewhere, and he nodded and accepted it.  
  
“You too, ma’am.”  
 _  
__  
__\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _  
__  
_**“I thought we had a deal!”** **  
****  
**Ray took the rebreather off to expel the blood from behind his lips, then cleared his throat. Without a doubt, Vannika was out cold, proving him the winner of the worst fortune. His brow furrowed and he held his wounds, holding his head and sides. **  
****  
**_“And we did. I followed her. You never said anything about interfering.”_ _  
__  
_A sickly smile crossed her face, moving to pick up the body Ray pushed off himself, groaning in further pain, like a dog, tending its wounds.  
  
 _“You left her alive? What, so I can do it for you?”_ _  
__  
_Pushing the hair past her unconscious face, she almost felt sorry for the woman. Such a hateful being. Pushed to her extremities by those around her. No one to blame for her actions, as they were her own, but everyone to blame for spurring her forwards. _  
__  
_**“Kill her, you’re dead. Help anyone else kill her, you’re dead. If I see you again, you’re dead. Get her the fuck out of here, the both of you.”** **  
****  
**The moment in between his response and her reply made her question whether he meant it or not, and as she spoke to him before, but she still defended herself regardless. **  
****  
**_“Oohhh, I’m so fucking sc-”_ _  
__  
_The all too familiar sound of a revolver hammer pulling back held her forked tongue from uttering anything further. A bag of caps was thrown at her feet. The mask was adjusted on his head, and he placed the hat back over his matted, bloody, and sweaty hair.  
  
 **“See to it that she receives proper medical care, or at the very least, do it yourself before you part ways.”** **  
****  
**That same tone. That same intent carried through the air on words that carved not so deeply at her sensitivities, but at her concern for her wellbeing. She picked up the caps, and placed Vannika over her shoulder. **  
****  
**_“And what of you? I thought we had a deal?”_ _  
__  
_Before leaving, she took one more look at him  
  
 **“Well ma’am, I think I’m gonna’ take a nap, and talk to that girl about the job you failed. Try it though, and I promise there won’t be enough of you for the vultures to pick at.”** **  
****  
**The boy who wore tatters, this time was done up in a leather coat and wrappings, which obscured all but his eyes, came once she had left, and began to tend to him.  
  
“She’s waiting in the Tops. You do need some rest after that, however.”  
  
Their eyes made contact for but a moment, but emotions were so much more easy to observe regardless. As Ray relaxed up against the wall, the boy’s eyes took on a more focused meaning, similar to his own previous expression.  
  
 **“Right, right. We still have a deal, right?”**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays everyone! Here's some more work done, hope yall enjoy it :))

The light of Vegas cascaded across the desert, not yet a beacon of hope, but a pustule of humanity. The only benefit it served was its own, yet it stood as a reminder of what things were. What they would never be again. The odd pair, nothing but pieces on the board, thumbed their sidearms, moving with unshakeable purpose.

“You know her. At the v’ry least, what you both knew, for a time. Where would she go?”

Eyes flickered back and forth in both the fear and excitement of a chase, reaching the bike. He trailed his hands along the throttle, fastening the strap to his helmet, letting the engine rest below him, while she moved to fasten her helmet behind him. Though their friendship unintentional, they bore the silent agreement that one would defend the other with their life. 

_ “She’d be going home. Not suicidal enough to stray from the roads, so we’ll get her on the south road, most likely...” _

He grunted in agreement, and kicked down on the starter, the bike roaring to life, and they set out. One might question the why of it all, the reason that spurred them on through the desert while the moon hung low to their backs. Though plentifully corrupt, the New California Republic was not without ample funds to provide for outsourcing, so blame couldn’t be attributed to them for collateral damage. Ample funds were provided to the odd pair. 

_ “I know, I know, we shouldn’t be going at night... They don’t know what she’s capable of.” _

Each mumbled their thoughts to themselves, muted by the ripping of the engine. Miles and miles on the road went, through all sorts of strange desert, until they could see her in the distance. She stood as if it was day, only the moon to light her vision, staring at the sky, smiling wildly to herself. Inugami leaned in closer, and shouted over the engine, careful not to tug around his waist too much.

_ “Don’t try to drop me off then get past her! You’ll be dead if you get beyond twenty paces!” _

He grunted a response, and continued his course, coming to a slowed stop. She made no effort to hide, embracing the move made by her enemy, and responding in kind by brandishing her own weapon, all light leaving the road with with the engine turning off. The pair disembarked, only stopping their movement when they stood but thirty paces from her, not being mindless enough to reach for their own weapons.

“Only two ways this c’n go.”

The roads weren’t always clean. In some cases, they were littered with wrecks that took extra care to traverse. Around a car, there could be a mine, or worse. Their own faces were hidden from the moon, becoming shadows of themselves, if but for a moment, surrounded by a graveyard of humanity once lived.

**“Oh? And what are those?”**

While they looked at her, waiting for an opening, she kept her gun trained on them but seemed on the verge of laughing. But she kept it in as if she were keeping the greatest of surprises. Inugami and the young man shared a look hidden by the darkness but kept their faces forward, every so lightly tracing their hands along the grips of their guns. 

_ “You shoot either of us, and the other kills you regardless.” _

Once again, their loyalty not to the hand that cast them through the desert, but that solemn trust to one another stood strong. It gave them a momentary rush of adrenaline, as they anticipated to come to a shootout, but then the lights came on. Each of them frozen for a split second, turning from predator to prey.

**“Really? Are you sure? Well…”**

She holstered her own weapon in satisfaction, letting the men clad in armor come out from every crevice and rock, forming a calculated circle around the two. Headlights from a large cargo truck illuminated the road, putting them in the light, and to them, her in the darkness. The two hesitated for a moment. Inugami reached for her gun, but was pulled back to their only possible chance of escape, before seeing it was already overtaken. 

**“Man, am I really happy I chose the third option.”**

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t care what our father says. I’m leading this campaign. You can fuck off to the Fort, and try beating th-.”_ **

As she spoke, he already moved to leave, giving her a stare that shut her up. He took hold of certain documents, and left, armed soldiers following with. 

**_“Bastard… Thinks he’s better than me…”_ **

Lost in furious thought, she looked at a desk in the tent, holding a flask hidden from the rest of the world, and nearly moved to grab it, but held herself back.

**_“Nope. Not today out of all days.. Mom’s coming today.”_ **

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It all happened too quickly. Too quick to react, but slow enough for him to resist before a kick connected with his stomach, then his side, head, and wherever she felt necessary to keep taking all the held in rage till he bore the figure of a human, but fluid, weighted and slumped unconscious, fading in and out. 

_ “Hey! Let the kid g-” _

She was gagged and held down next to her partner, leading to a vicious beating laid onto them by Vannika, like a child angry at its dolls. He was held down by those who bore their allegiance to the Bull, bound alongside Inugami, who fought back in kind before she too, was silenced. 

**“They’re not worth killing, yet. Get that.. thing, working, and follow us.”**

The men under her command carried the two, and took their belongings with them. Though they hadn’t reached their own territory just yet, a forward camp in their campaign was soon reached, there they were then fastened to poles, stripped until they were clothed in nothing but their undergarments. 

**“The way I see it, we should crucify them both. Nothing worth saving there, I’m pretty sure they don’t even have ties ‘round these parts. Just here to hit me. How’s your brother?”**

A soldier came, and handed the younger woman a strange identification plaque, reading with numbers and letters alive bolded, a strange name read along the bottom, semblance of a man among the very first people who set forth their destruction, half a millennium ago. 

**_“He’s fine, the spitting image of a young Inculta. Though… definitely still foolish enough to think he’ll take the helm after our father’s death. This-”_ **

Holding up the strange metallic plaque, the girl gestured back and forth between the bound duo. The younger one was beginning to stir, seething in pain at the aches of his bruises and cuts. An image of both great youth and health, lowered to such a state in search of self-sustainment. She snapped her finger, and within moments, a legionnaire entered the tent. 

**_“This isn’t simply nothing. Feel free to go on, I’ll find out what they know…. I love you..”_ **

She gestured to the captive first drifting back into consciousness, and the soldier pulled him by the hair till he stood up against the pole, huffing and seething in pain. Meanwhile, she moved to embrace Vannika, who nearly recoiled in disgust, but brazenly moved to leave. She held her discontent behind the same stoic expression, and eventually subsided it to uncaring. 

**“Remember where you stand. Do anything to give us something to work on. Going back to Vegas is pointless. Tell your father I don’t miss him.”**

Leaving behind the four, the order was given for Inugami to be carried out by the guard standing witness, and the second guard as well. She took one last quick glance back into the tent before being shoved out, seeing a struggling smile before the flaps of the tent pulled her attention from leaving the two alone. 

**_“Only two ways this can go. Now how about you be a good little pup, and tell me what I want to know, hmm~? The plate taken off your bike reads ‘Washington.’ Regardless of whether you took it out of some wreck, or inherited it, you’re from Cascadia, right? Now, what could someone so far thataways be doing down here? You’re not just here for the money in assassinating a ranking legionnaire or two.”_ **

Barely standing up, his breathing labored worse as he craned his head slowly to meet her heartless gaze. The physical bleeding had stopped, but the pain would not stop flowing out of him, stopping the world for a moment as they truly attempted to understand one another. Each one still a dog, leashed to a different master.

“Talkin’ ‘bout a dad.. Goin’ in for a hug an’ gettin’ rejected, obvious power in Caesar’s ranks… You’re her daughter, though only by blood, it seems. I wonder, it has to be through their efforts do you hold power. If that weren’t the case, ma’am, I wonder why I can’t recollect your na-”

Even in pain, he still found a way to resist, a sly, toying smile curved his mouth in the smile of someone who saw the humor of the situation, rising with each taunt. In an instant, the choice was made that she didn’t enjoy the conversation anymore, which was followed by the burst of energy that sent his head slamming into the pole, after she took hold of his neck and wrapped her hands around it in a single, calculated motion. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No matter how dark the night, the lights of Vegas always gave it a certain vibration which made it awake at all hours. In this perfect business, everyone could come and go at all hours, so long as they contributed to the appalling civilization of it all. The same light came in through the window, giving the two no need to turn any lights on in the apartment. The bed remained unused, but they rested on it regardless. Not enough time to sleep, but enough time to rest, make sure everything was in order, before they committed the ultimate offense.

_ “What’s your name, anyways? I told you mine, but you never even said yours. You would’ve said it at this point, so you’re not telling me for a reason. Why not? I don’t want to call you ‘kid’ forever.” _

His hands ran along the rag and cylinder of his gun, taking a drag from a joint fumbling in his mouth, setting both aside to exhale into the room. Looking to the shameful world outside the window, then back to her, offering the cigarette to her. While they smoked in the silence left by her question, he cleaned his gun until he could see his reflection, if it weren’t for the years worth of scuff and scratch marks. 

“It’s nothin’ special. Anyone with anything worth noting doesn’t have a common name. I don’t mind ‘kid’. You just make sure to do something with that name of yours. If it makes any sense, I guess you could say this isn’t the only dam out there. Like you have the Colorado and Hoover, after my family died, I went north. Kept going till I hit the Columbia, and Coulee. That’s enough for now about me. What about you?”

With his quick dismissal, his hands slowed, and moved to turn on the radio, finishing the last few drags. Taking those last few moments in before he knew she would try to out it from him yet again. So many bore a similar name. A placeholder for the face, their personality, and actions. Each life significant to those around it, yet insignificant on the world stage, most never making it past audition.

_ “Whatever, kid. I got brought here because we both used to be Jackal. But, that was a long time ago. I guess our employer thinks it’ll come in handy when trying to read her movements. If that’s all you’re giving me to go on, I’d say you’re more here for what the NCR has to offer beyond just this one thing….”  _

He turned off the radio in another motion, sitting in silence for what would have seemed like hours, lest the clock change with every minute spent in thought. When that certain time came, they moved to the door as one, making sure every piece was in its place, tightening their coats and walking through the hotel hallway. Each second went by as if it were not even time, and while they moved, the world stood still. As the elevator went down, Inugami turned to him, motivating only his hips and eyes to move slightly to look back into hers. 

_ “Keep me safe, yeah? Don’t get any funny ideas.. But, just know that no matter where you may have come from, know your life is significant, because it impacts my own.” _

As she spoke, her eyes gave way to a strange, caring look. The way someone watches over a child, the way a mother looks at her boy. Their journey together, and everything that led up to that point over the course of under a week had each given them a sense of closeness they each hid from the rest of the world. Though not by blood, if but until the moment they parted ways, they held the bond of family. 

“Ma’am, first off, i-”

He opened his mouth to acknowledge what she said with a sly remark to hide how she touched his soul in such a way behind light words, but was cut off by her pulling him into a hug. Moments before the elevator reached the bottom floor, she let go, and looked forward, smiling ever so slightly. 

“Okay.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_“If you will not play nice, I have no choice but to do this, and then worse. If you see this as a game, if you think acting childish will allow you to resist… Then I see it fitting to use you as a toy, who I am most intent on breaking. Your speech is nothing but muddled, brutish words mumbled together.. Almost fitting to bind you like the animal you are. You people are disgusting. Laboring without any beyond ambition besides the next harvest, or how long till cattle matures.”_ **

Though she didn’t choke, yet. The force at which she manipulated him was enough to stop another word from leaving his mouth. Not even angry, rising shouts came from her, but hushed, malicious whispers as she pressed him back painfully, letting her nails tear at his neck and thumbs press on his larynx.

**_“I refuse to believe that, out of everyone here, you are the closest in proximity to my own age, you pathetic excuse of a man. I am daughter of Caesar Inculta, Larentia Vasilisa Regina, and you are a fucking commoner. Now. Let’s do this again. Whose higher interest do you represent?”_ **

Once she let him go, all the pressure built up to then released, and he found his legs caving under him with the stress. He swished around in his mouth, spitting the blood and refuse out, and took a deep breath. 

“Ev’n if I told you, it’d take you, oh but, a thousan’ years before you achieved what you’d likely want to do if I told you anythin’. It definitely involves conquering. There’s a whole country between here and there.” 

He leaned back while sitting down, letting one leg cross over the other stretched out. Eyes softened for a moment as if he was in another time and place entirely. Gone from the bindings, somewhere he felt safe, but was brought back to reality when she trapped him again. She leaned in and crouched down to his eye level, more interested than enraged the way she was moments before.

**_“Aren’t you so quick to forget history? Then again, so is every being not sworn to us already.”_ **

The sudden change in tone once he proved talkative unnerved him, her eyes fixated on him the way a predator looks at its prey from afar. Deep, intuitive, tracking every hitched breath, flutter in pulse, and look back and forth between her, and anywhere but her. 

**_“Those who came before us were noted for not inherently conquering, but absorbing those they came into contact with under their great empire. All serving a bigger purpose, not interbreeding, initially, but then they all stood to serve as a bulwark to all of Rome’s enemies… What a beautiful thing, and it’s one I hope to replicate.”_ **

With each word she came slowly closer, fervently speaking, as if the words she spoke were all but religion. Talking to the point where their noses nearly met, each one paused for a moment. To hide her own embarrassment, she grabbed him by the jaw and cheeks, inspecting the inside of his mouth to determine his health, then threw his head to the side. She further stood up and retraced her steps through the tent, hiding her face while she spoke.

**_“Dear old Dad fell into the same hole Caesar did. They’ll never stop trying to conquer Hoover. Though, instead of assaulting the dam directly, I am trying to see about a push through Searchlight, but oop- It seems I’ve gone and said too much.”_ **

She relaxed properly back into a chair, looking back between her sharpened nails and him. Upon realizing what she had fully said, she chuckled to herself, but never took her eyes off of him. He trembled with this contact, and looked away to think of what to say next. 

“Ma’am. No disrespect more than you deserve, but. You’re.. How do I put this? Fuckin’ batshit. The insecurities’ comin’ through just fine now.” 

This taunt further provoked her, leading her to, instead of beating him further, ordered a guard to untie him. Putting herself between the exit and him, then walked towards him, putting her forearm over the pole, leaning close with frenzied eyes.

**_“I know. Why don’t you tell me more? I’ve got nothing but time.”_ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!

**“....I see. You’re a scout then. Sent from the north to assess the situation over the conflict for our own dam.”**

He sat uncomfortably in the chair while she sat over him, tracing his chin in a nearly possessive manner. Sweetened words came out in a nearly horrid manner, the knife to his throat barely forcing the coldest of responses and quiet nods. The guard in the corner kept him from resisting and reversing the situation. 

**“I never imagined there’d be one larger than the Hoover. To have come all that way, and be a courier at but a year younger than me… My, I wonder what I’d find under your coat…?”**

She moved the knife to cut the fabric open, smiling sadistically as it cut into the skin as well. Panting and winces of pain came at first, then groaning and the gnashing of teeth in pain. Then came the shaking in pain as she carved into him further. 

_ “Where... did… you... take... Inugami?” _

As the blood dripped onto her fingers, she let an insane, toothy grin grow from ear to ear. Taking a moment to lick her fingers, she then let her smile fall and eyes lid in a stare of uncaged sadism, insanity, and murder all at once. 

**“Oh, that horrid, tribal tramp? You really aren’t allowed to ask questions like that, but any relationship is built on reciprocation. This is adorable… And here I was, thinking you were just an NCR pup!~”**

Her snap gestured to the guard, and in the next few moments, a tortured Inugami was brought in and splayed out on the floor, panting and a thread from death. 

**“I don’t see the interest you have in her. There’s nothing notable there, just another rabid animal lost to drugs. My, you should’ve heard her screams, she was as concerned for you as you were for her, if not even more… Which will need a stop put to.”**

She reached for a revolver and began loading it, humming and letting herself go wildly gleeful in the game of hurting others she had come up with in her head. The one that hurts the most would win, she thought. This was necessary to keep power, and truly break someone down to build them back up. 

**“A honeymoon at the largest structure on the continent, after conquering the peoples surrounding it..? My, consider yourself lucky I hav-”**

The sound of gunfire broke her out of the psychotic daze she found herself in, the familiar sound of automatic rifle fire and orders from outside the camp sent the soldiers into a frenzy. She came off of Coulee, and the guard moved to restrain him. 

“Alright you piece of fucking scum, hands behind yo-”

In a single move, he took her knife and sliced the man’s throat, kicking him down into the dirt. Surprise, shock, fear, and terror crossed his face in seconds, as the blood came from both his neck and mouth. Screams gurgled out as he writhed in the corner, slowly stopping movement as his face remained frozen. 

**“I… I….”**

The battle outside continued, the rest of the world oblivious to their own conflict. Coulee’s breaths sped in shock as the two teenagers looked at the man dying on the floor, then back to each other, and rage took over. 

**“Come on then, you pathetic pup! Show me how you fight for your life!”**

Hands flew wildly. These two weren’t people anymore. These two weren’t human at this moment. Skin ripping and blows hitting as each wasn’t fighting to just survive, but kill the other. Brutality swallowed any innocence still found in the youths, and they both ripped into each other until Coulee took the deadly throw and found his grip around Vasilisa’s neck become tighter and tighter. 

_ “*Huff*.... *Huff*.... You fucking bitch… Am I still… *Huff*... Just a pup?!” _

Gone was her calculated show of force in a slight prod of his own neck and taunting dominance. In its place was extreme violence. His brow furrowed further, eyes narrowing and tunneling and his breathing quickened and wrapped tighter and tighter. 

**“N-no… no!”**

Vasilisa’s own gaze moved from her own rage, melting into fear and panic as life slipped away from her, showing that she was still just a little girl who feared death, the same as every mortal. Her hands fell from hitting him and grabbed at his, losing the fight for her life. 

**“Mom…. m-mo-hrrghk-”**

If it weren’t for the terrified eyes of Vasilisa, and her cries and pitiful effort to stay alive, Coulee would’ve never snapped out of his rage. He would’ve never seen her as the human she still was, somehow. He would’ve continued to throw her head into the dirt to shake the last of her fighting will out, and squeeze until she stopped breathing. 

**“P-pl…. please….ghhk-”**

That would’ve happened, had he given into the animal inside him entirely. Instead, he let go and stunned her with a punch across the bridge of her nose to give him time to gain distance. In the moments where she gasped for air and held her bloodied nose and gunshots rang out all over the camp, Coulee picked Inugami up in a fireman carry. His free hand moved to grab a revolver inside the tent and train it on her as he stepped to the exit. 

_ “You’re lucky I’m more concern’d with keepin’ her alive than killin’ you. Run. Run, or I swear to god, I’ll chase you faster, an’ settle this another day.”  _

She held her nose and tried to crawl away, going for her own weapon, but Coulee ran out with Inugami hanging limply over his shoulders before she could react. The only thing left for her to do was run. She grabbed a gun, stuffed her nose, and ran as he told her to. It seemed for miles he carried her, shooting his way through the line and not stopping until he set her down on a cot, and a surgeon immediately set about stabilizing her. 

Hours passed. The dead were arranged for transport. The enemy dead burned. The wounded lay around him in other cots, but he didn’t move or let go of her hand until she squeezed back. He immediately hugged her, prompting a rough laugh and a move back as the boy realized she may have been hurt worse than expected. Eyes fluttered open weakly while she smiled through a split lip and bruises dotting her face, the ones over her eyes keeping them from opening all the way.

**_“So… It’s ‘Coulee’ then… huh? Heh, better than ‘kid.’”_ **


End file.
